Who I Am
by marauding-siriusly
Summary: OMG ITS FINISHED! they got off to a rocky start, yet somehow or other they will become the friends that call themselves the marauders. rating to be safe. R&R PLEASE!
1. Default Chapter

MWPP!!!!!!  I love these guys!  but, see, I dont think that, having never been subjected to anything else, sirius' views would be that different from his parents', so I'm gonna say that he is very slytheriny at first. 

disclaimer:  I'm not JKR, if I was though I would be coming over to the house of "marauding-siriusly" and giving her the first ever copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  mmm....(goes comatose for a sec.)

Sirius black hesitantly put his hand on the doorknob of his new dorm room. He was still numb from the day's proceedings.

"_Sirius Black" Mcgonnagals voice rang out. Sirius swaggered confidently over to the hat, only his gray eyes betraying his nervousness. He sat down on the stool and the world went black as the hat slipped over his eyes._

"_Hmm..." he heard a voice say. "Interesting. A Black, yet not very ambitious. Cunning, yes, but you seem to care more about pleasing your parents with your achievements than pleasing yourself. That shows loyalty, definitely NOT a slytherin trait." Sirius' eyes widened at that. Of course he was ambitious! He was a Black! He should be the perfect slytherin! "a Black yes, a slytherin no," the hat responded. "In fact, you're quite the opposite, little GRYFFINDOR." _

_This last word was shouted to the entire hall, and a slightly shocked Mcgonnagal swept the hat off his head. Recovering from his initial shock, Sirius brought his chin up and walked regally to the gryffindor table, where he was receiving many strange looks. "a black never shows weakness," he repeated to himself, over and over again. He hardly noticed as the rest of the first years were sorted, and he was only shaken from his thoughts when Dumbledore began to speak. _

"_I will not keep you all from your lovely feast, so all announcements will be made at the end. That means don't leave, even if you have finished your meal! We had a few incidents like that last year..." he appeared to be lost in thought. One of the professors cleared their throat and he started. "Yes, well then. Eat up!"_

_the students found their plates full of food as they looked back down at the table, and Sirius grimaced as he heard the muggleborns gasping. It was going to be a long night._

Sirius brought himself back to reality with a jolt. He braced himself before turning the knob and opening the door. He froze as he heard voices on the other side.

"I can't believe it! A Black, in gryffindor! What's Dumbledore playing at?" That voice sounded angry.

"Well, it wasn't Dumbledore's fault, it was the hat that chooses what house everyone's in." That sounded like a calm, reasonable voice.

"Wait, why shouldn't a Black be in gryffindor? As long as he fits the description, what's wrong with that?" Sirius liked that voice. Well, maybe that was just because he liked what the voice said.

The first voice spoke again. "I'll tell you why. It's because the Blacks are all dark wizards, every last one of them. They were some of Grindewalds biggest followers, and while they haven't declared their support for this new Voldemort guy, they have made it known that they approve of him. Plus, they've all been in slytherin for as far back as anyone can remember."

Sirius decided it was time to step in. "Actually, the head girl, Andromeda, is my cousin, and she's from ravenclaw. My Uncle Alphard, who graduated in '53, was a slytherin, but is an auror who is working on the Voldemort case, and was the key figure in multiple raids on the death eaters. Find your own facts, kid, before you go spewing out whatever your mummy and daddy tell you."

The shocked looks on the rooms three inhabitants was immensely satisfying. He saw that two of them had the decency to look guilty about being caught talking about him ("_and so they should!" he thought angrily)_ but the third managed to get over his shock and glared back at him defiantly.

"Well, Black, even though the hat put you in gryffindor, that doesn't mean your good. Maybe it just made a mistake."

"You think in such black and white terms....Potter, I'm guessing? Of course you're a Potter, all Potters look as if they've just been electrocuted." He smirked as Potter tried to flatten his hair down. "Not everything is just "good" or "bad". I mean, you might consider Voldemort bad because he wants to cleanse the wizarding world, but he has his good points. I mean, he'd get rid of jackasses like you, wouldn't he?"

Sirius sat back to watch as his words got through to them. Potter growled and jumped up; the short, stockier one and the thin, pale one both reached out to grab Potter, but their faces showed different emotions. The thin boy looked amused, while the shorter one looked a little nervous. He decided he needed to find out whose voice was which.

"So what are your names?" he asked.

"I'm Remus Lupin," said the thin boy, and Sirius recognized him as the one who had only mentioned not to blame Dumbledore. _The one who refused to take sides,_ he thought.

"Peter Pettigrew," the other replied, the one who had defended him. _Well, sort of._

"Well, boys, much as I'd love to continue this happy conversation we're having, I think I'd rather go to bed. Actually, I would rather be fed to a hippogriff, but the bed also seems like a nice option. Goodnight." He went over to his trunk, pulled out what he needed, and proceeded to ignore the three boys for the rest of the night. Not that they said anything to him.

a/n  So what'd you think?  Wanna flame me?  Wanna congratulate me?  Wanna send me a pretty picture?  You can do all of this if you just click the little blue (or is it purple?  I think I'm going colorblind) button.  actually, I dont know if you can send a picture through it, I'll have to check that out...


	2. morning sleepyhead!

disclaimer:  god, i wish i owned harry potter.  well, thats not true.  i wish i owned sirius black though... (sirius backs away slowly before apparating to australia)

yay, i got multiple reviews!  and now i get to reply to them:

brennqt14: thanx for the congrats!  i meant that remus was amused because it had to be funny seeing james taken down like that.  i kind of picture remus like hermione (who doesn't) and i think that seeing someone like james being "managed" in such an...for lack of better way, he would probably be amused. 

lillian():  ay yay yay, im so sorry about McGonagall's name, i can never spell it right!  although i find it funny that in pointing that out to me you spelled "mispell" "mispel".  lol.  i know they are only 11, but as he says in this chapter, sirius was educated by the best, he probably is mature for his age.  dont worry, cause just like me he will definately have his immature points ;)

alright, not much really happens in this chapter, cause im about to be kicked off the computor, but i decided to screw it and post anyway.  sorry about the lack of content, and see you soon!

Peter Pettigrew woke up the next morning with a feeling of panic. This wasn't his bed! Where was he? As his head cleared a bit, he remembered that he was in his bed at Hogwarts (his _Gryffindor_ bed, mum would be so proud!) and that today was the first day of classes. He sheepishly swung his legs off the bed and turned to look at the clock. It read 7:08. _Good,_ he thought, _no chance of me being late today._ He walked groggily towards the bathroom, but as he passed the third bed he heard a loud beep followed be a groan and some more loud beeps. A crash came next, followed by some mumbled curses, and a very disheveled Remus Lupin emerged from behind the curtains. Peter smirked as Remus turned around and walked straight into the next bed over, causes a few yelps to come from that bed as well.

"Oof, sorry mate," Remus said sleepily.

"Muuuuuh," came the reply, and James' head poked through the curtains, emitting a shriek as the rest of him followed to end up on the floor. Just at that moment the bathroom door opened and Sirius walked out, already showered and dressed for the day.

"I knew you'd get used to the idea of groveling to me, Potter," he smirked at James, who growled and pushed himself up, only to trip again over his sheets. "It's only to be expected, after all, I am clearly the superior one here," he continued haughtily.

Remus and Peter shared a confused look over James' head. Was Black serious? Or was he just saying that to piss James off? Peter shrugged and continued on his journey to the bathroom, and Remus followed a moment later.

"Don't want to get caught between those two, 'specially not this early in the morning," Remus mumbled.

"I'm with you on that one, Remus," replied Peter.

James stumbled in a moment later, mumbling to himself. "Damn Black, damn bed sheets, it's a conspiracy, a conspiracy I tell ya!" Peter shook his head and grinned, while Remus just rolled his eyes, but Peter could see a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Well, james, much as I'd like to help you fight this conspiracy of yours, I'm hungry. I'm gonna head down for breakfast now. Anyone coming?" Peter asked.

"I'll meet you down there in five," Remus replied, and James grunted his agreement.

"Right, see you in a bit then."

Peter walked straight into Sirius as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Good, someone's alive at least. I don't remember the way down to the great hall, do you?"

Sirius winced as he realized his mistake. _Never ask others for help. Find a way of obtaining it while at the same time making it seem as though you are the one responsible for having it._ Wasn't that what his parents were always saying? He cringed to think of what they would do if they heard him slip up like that. _Oh well, damage done. Thank merlin they aren't here to witness my idiotic slip-ups._

Thankfully, Pettigrew didn't seem to notice Sirius' hesitation. "Yeah, just follow me. I'm pretty sure I remember the way," he said cheerfully.

As they made their way through hallways, down stairs, around winding corridors, and through trick walls, Peter continued to try to strike up a conversation, but was continually cut off by Sirius.

"so are you excited about classes today? I—"

"yes."

"What do you think will be the hardest class? I'm a little nervous about—"

"I dunno."

"Can you say a sentence with multiple nouns and maybe a few adjectives or adverbs thrown in there?"

"Nope." Sirius smirked as he saw Peter getting more and more frustrated. "Fine. Yes I'm excited about classes, I think potions will be the most difficult class, and I am obviously capable of stringing together a sentence that sounds at least moderately intelligent because I am a member of the "Most Noble and Ancient House of Black", corny as that sounds, and us Blacks always get the best of educations," Sirius relented. He then fell silent again.

Peter sighed. Black had seemed so...interesting...last night when he said all those things to James. He was only eleven, but he spoke like an adult. Peter had thought that maybe Sirius would want to be friends with him, after all, peter was the one who had defended him last night, but Black seemed to just distance himself from everyone.

He sighed again as they entered the great hall at last.

a/n:  alright, review and i will take requests for pranks for the marauders to do, and they will definately appear in the fic. 


	3. owl post

thanks so much to all my reviewers, youre all awesome. ok, i cant reply to you right now because im having issues finding the review again (please dont ask why, just keep in mind that i have an ongoing war with all computors) but to all of you who asked me to hold up my end of the bargain and give out chocolate ship cookies/ice cream sundaes...can i give you brownies instead? i just made a batch today, and they are really good, i used butterscotch chocolate chips. mmm....sorry. heres the post:

James finally made it to the breakfast table just as the post arrived (Remus had abandoned him long ago, worrying that he might not get to eat breakfast if he waited much longer for James.). An owl swooped down to each of the four boys, but their reactions were all completely different.

James read his letter and smirked, waving it around and saying: "They said they knew I was gryffindor stuff, there was no doubt about it in their minds that I would get into the best house at Hogwarts."

Sirius snorted at this, but didn't say anything. He was to busy frowning at the letter in his hands, seeming to get more and more upset at each line. This made james extremely curious as to what was in the letter.

Remus was ingrossed in a foot long piece of parchment his parents had sent him (how do they have that much to write already? We've only been gone for a day-thought james), lookinga little homesick, but smiling nonetheless.

Peter read his note quickly, and when he put it down he was positively beaming. "they said that they are so proud of me for getting into gryffindor that they're going to buy me a pet! Can you imagine? I think I'll ask for a cat..." James leaned over to read Peter's note and grinned. The word "gryffindor" was written in a different ink, making him think that Peter's parents had written the note beforehand and were planning on sending it with the house name put in minutes before no matter which house Peter got into. James decided not to spoil this for Peter though.

Sirius stood up suddenly, a worried look on his face. He walked out of the great hall without a word, looking a little to..._regal_...for james' taste. Remus looked up, startled, and then eyed the plate of waffles that Sirius had left behind hungrily. "Well, seeing as there are no waffles left, and he doesn't look like he's coming back anytime soon..." and the thin boy promptly dug in. James just rolled his eyes, and peter smothered a giggle.

Sirius walked along the corridor towards his first class. He was a little nervous, but his nervousness was pushed aside as he thought of the letter.

_Boy,_

Now that was a bad sign. Not Sirius, not son, just boy.

_As the heir to the black fortune, you have a reputation to uphold. We sent you to Hogwarts rather than Durmstrang in the hopes that with the help of your cousins you would learn how to deal with such atrocities as mudbloods and halfbloods. _

Uh oh. They weren't thinking of sending him to Durmstrang now, were they? No, they couldn't, it had to be too late. It had to!

_And then you go and get yourself put into gryffindor! Not slytherin, not even ravenclaw! At least in ravenclaw you could have excused it as meaning you are extremely intelligent, but there is no way to lessen the horror of GRYFFINDOR!_

Sirius grimaced. It wasn't his fault! It was the stupid hat! He wanted to be in slytherin!

Didn't he?

_We shall talk to Dumbledore immediately in the hopes of securing you a spot in slytherin before it is too late and the damage is irreparable, but already it is unlikely that they will ever truly accept you back._

This was the part that worried Sirius the most. Not his parents coming to talk with Dumbledore; no, that didn't bother him in the least. But his friends, his _good_ friends who had managed to make their families proud by being placed in the right house; they wouldn't drop him, would they.

Yes, they would. He knew that, but couldn't accept it. Surely his closest friends, at least, would understand. They wouldn't leave him over something as stupid as their Hogwarts houses. Would they?

_Until then, we expect you to be on your best behavior, don't give Head of Slytherin House Malvolio any more reasons not to accept you. Don't consort with any filth, we will hear of it if you do. _

Yeah, his damn cousins would tell!

_When you get home, we will sort you out once and for all._

Shit. Well, so much for a merry Christmas. Ah, well, his parents usually managed to take all the fun out of it anyway, this year it'll just hurt more. Oh, fun.

a/n: alright, if i dont update tomorrow, i will probably by next sunday. weekends are easiest for me, so you probably shouldnt expect any over the week.


	4. class

can i just say, YOU GUYS SUCK!!! brennqt14is the ONLY person who reviewed last chapter!! i love you brennqt14, you are absolutely wonderful. therefore, this chapter is dedicated to you. so there to everyone else who refuses to review!!

disclaimer: if i owned harry potter, dont you think more people would read this? HMMM?!?!?!?!

"Order, order please! Welcome class, to Charms. Today we will begin our work on the levitation charm. Take out your wands please."

"Nice wand, Lupin" a nasty voice hissed near Remus's ear. He grimaced and concentrated on the wand movement Flitwick was showing them. "Get it from your mummy? Or a dumpster?" snickered the voice.

"Back off, Avery," James cut in. Remus smiled at him gratefully.

"And what'll you do if I don't? Go crying to daddy? Boohoo, daddy, the mean slytherins teased me, wah, wah, wah!" Avery replied mockingly.

"If I recall correctly, Avery, last time our parents got together you had to be taken home because you fell off your broom two feet in the air and scraped your knee. Your parents couldn't quiet you down and they had to leave disgracefully early," Sirius spoke up, while keeping his head facing Flitwick the entire time.

"At least I'm not a blood traitor like you!" Avery spat back.

"Ooh, is that the best you could come up with? Potter here could come up with better than that."

James looked at him, confused. "Hold on, Black, whose side are you on? His or ours?"

Sirius just smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know,"he said mysteriously.

"Guys, Flitwicks heading this way. Start practicing!" interrupted Peter. The other boys immediately picked up their wands. Swish and flick. Swish and flick.

"Excellent work, boys. Potter, a little quicker on your flick. It looks more like a stroke right now. Pettigrew, careful with you swish, it looks like you're just doing two flicks in a row. Keep practicing, everyone."

As soon as Professor Flitwick reached the front of the room again, he turned around. "Good. I think we might be ready to attempt the spell now. Ms. Evans, if you would be so kind…?" he handed her a box of feathers to hand around. "Now, remember. Swish and flick, wingARdium leviOsa. Begin."

The boys' argument was put aside for the moment as they began working on the spell. On his third try, Remus managed to get it up. "Very good, Mr. Lupin! Five points to gryffindor!" Remus grinned happily.

Next to accomplish the feat was a girl named Lily Evans. "Well done, another five points to gryffindor!"

Finally the first slytherin managed to do the spell. "Congratulations, Mr. Nott, you just earned your house five points."

James was next to perform the spell correctly; unfortunately, his aim was off and he somehow managed to hit Sirius's bag. Papers and ink spilled out, and Sirius growled in frustration. "Potter, you dimwit, what do you think the feathers for? Stupid jackass!"

James swallowed nervously. "Sorry, Black, it was an accident. Here, let me help you."

Remus also bent down to help. As he placed Sirius' things back in his bag, his eyes landed on a letter. On impulse, he grabbed the letter and shoved it in his pocket.

After class (Sirius, a boy named snape, and a girl named Parkinson had all managed to complete the spell by the end of class) they headed to dinner. James and Sirius were both in fowl moods, and peter was too frightened to say anything. Remus sighed. _This is a disaster!_

A/N: i dont care if that was short, thats everyones punichment for not reviewing. REVIEW DAMN YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	5. family reunion the good kind

_hi everyone, ok first things first i need to apologize. i was a total bitch last post, i am really sorry. i was in a bad mood, and neither of my stories had gotten any reviews. __Amalynne O'hara__was smart enough to figure out and point out to me that the lack of posts was probably due to ffn being a bit screwy that week, so i am extremely sorry, and you can yell at me all you want cause i totally deserve it._

_ok, one more thing: lil smartass asked me to promote her fic, so here goes: i started reading it way before she read mine, and i loved it. its really creative, and you should all go read it. its called "summer is the time to relax". she has another one which i unfortunately have not gotten around to reading yet, but i will. _

_if anyone else wants me to promote their fics just say so in your review. _

_disclaimer: im not jkr, but the things i could do if i was...._

Loud talking filled the great hall as the students sat down to dinner. A debate was going on at the Ravenclaw table, and while both sides seemed to make excellent points, no one from any other house could figure out what they were debating. At first it seemed as though they were debating over which of the founders _really_ had the idea to start Hogwarts, but then somehow it turned into an argument over why Gryffindor and Slytherin were enemies. The other houses were crowded around them, but slowly dispersing to their tables as the food appeared.

A ravenclaw detached herself from the crowd and headed to the Gryffindor table. She spotted the boy she was after and sat down next to him.

"Sirius, I've been meaning to talk to you for ages! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you; I knew you weren't a Slytherin. Didn't I say that, when you asked me what house I thought you'd get into? I said that if you were a Slytherin then I must be a Hufflepuff. And I was right, wasn't I?" She then proceeded to give Sirius a big hug, which (to the surprise of all the other Gryffindors) he returned whole-heartedly.

"Well, you're definitely the only one who was thinking like that, Andy," he replied dryly. "I think the Gryffindors are almost as shocked as mum and dad. And neither partly is exceptionally happy with the situation."

Andromeda laughed. "That's how it was when I was sorted into Ravenclaw. Well," she amended, "maybe not quite the same." She eyed the space between Sirius and the rest of the house. "you know," she said quietly, "if you attempted to—"

"I tried. It won't work," Sirius interrupted.

"But if you—"

"No"

"How about—"

"Andromeda, stop. It's not gonna happen. You were accepted 'cause you proved that you were smart. What can I prove? That I'm brave to the point of stupidity? Kinda did that by getting sorted here, but it didn't seem to help."

Andromeda took him by the shoulders and turned him around so he was looking at her. "Sirius, I didn't get accepted because I was smart. I made an effort. I challenged people to a game of chess, or I lent people my notes for history of magic. You can't expect people to change their opinions of you when you don't give them anything to change to. I want you to promise me that you won't go to bed tonight without playing at least one game of chess, or exploding snap, or _something _that you need more than one person to do."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You seem more anxious about me making friends than I am. Come on, your mum says the same thing as mine: "friends are luxuries that aren't always affordable." If I become friends with these Gryffindors, all my other friends will hate me, you know that."

"Siri, I hate to break it to you, but your Slytherin friends already do hate you. You're a _Gryffindor_. Gryffindors and Slytherins just aren't friends. Now I suggest you take my advice, or you're going to be so miserable for the next seven years!"

Andromeda stood up and walked away without another word. Sirius looked around him to make sure that the other Gryffindors hadn't heard their conversation, he'd been speaking as softly as possible so as to keep them from hearing. Luckily they all seemed to be busy in their own discussions. Not feeling hungry anymore, Sirius stood up and walked out of the great hall.

_review replies:_

_**brennqt14**: thanx for your sympathy, lol. yeah, sirius is my fav too, i just LOVE him! keep reviewing!_

_**amalynne o'hara**: i am so sorry for yelling at everyone, you know i luv u 2! umm...please excuse my computor ignorance, but what is a c2? you can add me to it, i just have no idea what it is ::blushes::maybe i shoudve taken computor this year in school.... lol thanx for the review!_

_**lil smartass**: i dont know, i think peter didnt really have a choice. you might die for youre friends, but i cant honestly say i would. i have no idea. i mean, im being tortured and threatened with death, its quite likely i would crack. and it is true, peter was one of the marauders. they wouldnt have been the marauders without him. alright, enough of that ;) im glad you like my fic, and i love_ yours so ill promote it.


	6. the first prank!

_wow, every chapter i get more people reviewing! im so excited, i had to update! _

_okay, promotion for this chapter: the ever secret diary of sirius black by amalynne o'hara. this fic is hilarious, ive actually fallen out of my chair laughing at times. theres even a part with: james, horny deer, and cologne. if you want to figure out what im talking about, read her fic! its great! _

_remember, if you want me to promote your fics, tell me so in a review!_

In the Gryffindor common room that evening the students were making such a racket that the prefects had to threaten to send everyone to bed twice already, and it was only 9:45. James was sitting by Lily Evans, enthusiastically explaining the rules of the wizard sport Quidditch to the redhead, who in turn was comparing it to a muggle sport called basketball every time James stopped to take a breath. On the other side of the common room Remus and Peter were engrossed in a game of chess. Sirius sat on a chair near them with a book on his lap, watching the game. He sighed, bored. Suddenly a look crossed his face. A grin made its way across his face, and he slipped his wand out of his pocket and into his hand. He murmured something and slipped it back into his pocket.

"AARGH!! PETER, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Remus shrieked. He was covered in a thick red liquid that looked like "EW! BLOOD!"

"Well if you stopped pitting us against each other and making us kill each other, then you wouldn't have to deal with the consequences. I mean, really, are our lives just a game to you?"

Remus and Peter stared in horror at the chess pieces, that were walking over to the newly smashed pawn and picking up the pieces carefully, a few of them slipping on the blood that had spurted out of his body when he was knocked out.

"R-Remus? I don't think chess pieces are supposed to talk back, are they? And I don't think they're supposed to bleed, either."

"No, Peter, they're not. Someone put a spell on them." Remus's eyes narrowed as his gaze swept the room. People were becoming attracted to the strange chess pieces, and a crowd was forming around the two boys. They strove to see over all the heads, but some of the students were just too tall.

"Would you like me to fix your chess set, kid?" asked a kind voice behind Peter.

Peter turned around to come face to face with a 7th year named Ted Tonks. "Please, could you?" he asked.

Ted smiled. "Of course. _Finite incantatem_." The chess pieces slumped over were they were.

Disappointed, the crowd began to disperse revealing to Remus's eyes one Sirius Black, who had fallen off his chair laughing, and was now trying to look completely innocent. Remus met his eyes with a stern, almost McGonnagall look on his face. He opened his mouth to say something to Sirius, and promptly closed it again. Then, to Sirius' surprise (and Peters as well, who had noticed Remus and Sirius' silent conversation), Remus began to laugh. He sat there, with blood all over his robes, laughing till tears streamed down his face. Sirius and Peter looked at him with bewildered looks on their faces, until they too started laughing. Soon the whole common room was roaring with laughter, some not even knowing what they were laughing at, because the laughter was so infectious.

Sirius slipped into bed that night with a satisfied smile on his face. _Happy, Andy?_

Remus dropped into bed, feeling nervous. He'd had fun today, but the full moon was coming up, and he didn't know how he'd deal with it. _No one can find out!_

Peter also felt satisfied as he laid down. _Who knew I'd make friends so quickly? This is turning out so well!_

James, on the other hand, was feeling slightly put out as he slid into bed. _Blacks lucky they forgave him for that. I wouldn't have. I can't believe he's getting special treatment just 'cause he's a Black._

_A/N review replies!!!_

_**Amalynne O'Hara**: oh! do you think you could give me a link to that c2? marauder fics are my favs, so that would be awesome. im glad you liked andromeda, and thanks for being understanding about my bad mood. itll never happen again (i hope ;))_

_**brennqt14**: im sorry you're having a crappy week, but i hope you have fun in Vegas! thanks for reviewing!_

_**yoshimiwolfspaw**: i know the letters not in this chapter. but it will be soon. dont worry. thanks for the review!_

_**forrest**: im glad you like the plot, i am totally obsessed with the marauders, so i needed to write a fic about them. _


	7. why oh why

_ok, while reading over my story, i realized i forgot to mention that in the letter from sirius' parents the head of slytherin house is refered to as malvolio; that is not a name from my head, its from shakespeare's_ twelfth night_. sorry bout that. _

_k. no one asked me to promote any fics, but dont forget that im willing to. just leave a review asking. _

_ooh, i forgot a disclaimer last time, so this is for both. i dont own hp, or anything you recognize. unless you're psychic and can tell what im going to write before i do. AHHH!!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!_

The next day, James seemed to be giving Remus the silent treatment. Remus was confused; why was James mad at him? What'd he do?

After lunch they had an hour free. James pushed by Remus, heading towards their dorm. Remus grabbed his arm.

"James, what's wrong? Did I do something to make you mad? If I did, I'm sorry, but I don't know what I did!"

James glared at him. "You don't know what you did? Black made an idiot out of you, and you just laughed with him. You don't honestly think he expected you to be ok with it, do you? He wanted to embarrass you! That's what Blacks do; they don't care about anyone else. Just 'cause this one's in Gryffindor doesn't mean he's any different."

"James, why are you so…obnoxious? I mean, you're a nice kid, why do you have to act like everything Black does is just to spite you? He's a kid, too. He likes to have fun, just like you. What's your problem with him?"

James glared at Remus for a moment, before his scowl dropped and he sighed. "Come with me, Rem."

They headed to the dorm, James leading. When they arrived, they both sat down on opposite beds.

James leaned forward. "Alright. You want to know why I don't like Black? Well, listen up.

"When I was little, my Uncle Harry would visit me every weekend, without fail. He would always bring me a present, like my first pet. It was a snitch; you know the little birds that the quidditch ball is supposed to look like? Anyway, he was an auror, one of the best in the ministry. He was working on a case, someone had been sending threatening notes to this couple who were really important, they had some high standing in the American ministry. He finally tracked down the ones responsible for it, but when he found them it turned out it was a trap. He was killed by Blacks, five of them. He took two of them with him, and seriously injured a third. Two of them were Sirius' parents. The one injured was his dad, and one of the ones who got away fine was his mom. That's why I don't like him. You know the old saying: the apple never falls far from the tree."

Remus sat there in shocked silence. He hadn't expected anything like this; he thought James had just heard stories and that was why he didn't like the Blacks. He finally recovered his senses, and looked back up at James.

"James, is there anyone in your family who didn't meet your approval, or your parents approval?"

"Well, my aunt married a Crabbe, and we don't really talk to her anymore. She tends to socialize with the Crabbes' friends, like the Malfoys and Goyles."

"Don't you think that Sirius could be the equivalent of your aunt? Maybe he's the one Black who thinks differently. Didn't he say his uncle was also an auror? Plus, his cousin is Andromeda, and she's head girl. Dumbledore wouldn't make her head girl if she was so bad."

"Maybe, but I doubt it. There can only be so many 'black sheep', no pun intended. I think the sorting hat just made a mistake."

Remus sighed. "Alright James, I didn't want to show you this, cause it's not really any of your business, but I think it might help. Actually, it's not my business either, but I couldn't help it. I was curious." He pulled out a letter from his trunk. "I found this when you turned Sirius' bag upside down, and I couldn't help reading it. Take a look."

James grabbed the letter with a skeptical look. He started skimming it, but as he got farther on it the letter his eyes narrowed and he seemed to pay closer and closer attention to what the letter said.

"Remus, this entire letter is talking about how terrible Gryffindors are, and how he shouldn't associate with us. How is this supposed to make me like him? If anything, it's made me like him less!"

"Don't you see, James? Look at his parents' attitude towards him. They don't seem full of love, that's for sure. They sound like they aren't at all proud of him, for anything, and did you notice that they said they'd sort him out 'once and for all'? That seems like he's gone against their wishes more than once, doesn't it?"

"I guess so," James said uncertainly.

"What the hell are you doing with that?" Sirius stood in the doorway, pale with fury. "Where'd you get it, and why are you reading it? Give it to me, NOW!"

_A/N: review replies!_

_**brennqt14**: you are amazing! you're almost always my first reviewer for each chapter! i know james is acting like a jerk, but thats explained in this chapter cause i decided i liked him too much to make him a complete asshole. lol. glad your crappy weeks over, and enjoy vegas!_

_**amalynne o'hara**: k, i looked at your c2 (yay, i can work a comp!) and while i'd read a lot of the ones there, there were still some that id never seen before that were really good. you should check out my favs, theyre almost all sirius fics. glad you liked my fic, but i dont know how long i can keep updating so fast. i just sit down, and once i get started i can go for a while, its just the getting started part i have issues with. _

_**yoshimiwolfspaw**: heres youre letter (or the first half, anyway) enjoy! lol, im weird and morbid and get really into the child abuse thing too. its scary how much.... :S_

_**springdew**: well, im not that good at descriptions, and i didnt really do any in this chapter, but ill keep that in mind as i keep writing. grammer mistakes....well, i dont have a beta, so im on my own there. no one else to blame, damn. lol. thanks for telling me what i need to work on, its so helpful. and im glad you like the story. _

thank you all so much for reviewing, cant wait for you to do it again! (hint hint)


	8. 20 mins to class

_hey, everyone wish me a happy birthday, it was dec. 24, just 4 days ago. YAY!_

_no one asked me to promote they're fics, its so weird.im just telling people about how good your fics are, and trying to get more readers for you, but no one's asked me to in a while. oh well._

_disclaimer: gotta say, if i could choosea book to own, it wouldnt be hp,cause id have people like myself bugging...er, me...all the time. id own LotR, maybe, cause no one expects another one. then again, thatcould because theauthors dead...._

"What the hell are you doing with that?" Sirius stood in the doorway, pale with fury. "Where'd you get it, and why are you reading it? Give it to me, NOW!"

Remus stared guiltily up at the angry boy in front of him. "W-well you see…um…it fell into my bag, I think that day in charms, when James upended your bag…and…um…I read it…thinking it was mine that I had gotten earlier…and I showed it to James hoping that he'd know whose it was."

"Bullshit." Sirius replied, unfazed by Remus' attempt to cover up the theft. "If you EVER come near any of my things again without my permission, I will take it and shove it down your throat." And with that, he grabbed the letter and stalked out of the room, pushing past Peter who was entering at the same moment.

"What's wrong with him?" Peter asked, staring after him.

Remus sighed. "What isn't?" he muttered.

Sirius stormed out of the Gryffindor tower, and headed down the stairs. He didn't know where he was going, but frankly he didn't care, as long as it took him away from his damn roommates. Who did they think they were, going through his things? What would they do if he did that to them?

He stopped short, an evil grin spreading across his face. Lupin took the last prank well, he'd probably manage to get over this one pretty quickly too. As for Potter—well, he had it coming.

Sirius began walking again, this time with a small spring to his step. Lost in thought (or rather, schemes), he failed to notice the three older students heading towards him. That is, until he found the strong hand grab his shoulder and wheel him around forcefully. Sirius' indignant cry died on his lips and his eyes widened as he looked up at a very unwelcome face.

"Lestrange. Malfoy. _Bella_."

"Hello, cousin dear," came the sarcastic reply.

"Damn, I feel so bad," Remus said for the hundredth time.

"Don't worry about it, Rem, he'll get over it. Just tell him your sorry, and he'll forget about it after a while. Otherwise, it's his loss," James soothed.

"I guess," Remus said uncertainly. "I just wish there was something I could do to make it up to him."

"I dunno, I think he'd warm up to you if you pulled a prank on James," Peter joked.

"Hmm…"

"Don't you dare Remus, I'll kill you!"

"Aw, it would be so fun tho—" Remus was cut off as James tackled him off his bed.

Peter laughed as he pulled them apart. "Come on guys, we only have twenty minutes until class."

"What do we have anyway?" asked James.

"Potions," Remus replied without missing a beat.

"Let's go. Last time I left with fifteen minutes to spare, and still managed to be late. Stupid Peeves tricked me. Twice!" Peter sighed.

"Naw, see, I have the best strategy," James boasted. "Leave with only five minutes to spare, and peeves doesn't bother with you cause he knows you're already gonna be late and he doesn't need to do anything."

"Well, that would be smart, if Peeves wasn't RIGHT!" Remus yelled, laughing. "No wonder you managed to get on McGonnagall's bad side already."

"Aw, she loves me. I could tell by the way she pursed her lips when she took away those 5 points."

"Whatever," Remus and Peter said simultaneously.

_a/n: ok, now you all know you want to be acknowledged here, so why dont you go press that little button? or not...._

_review replies:_

_**Brennqt14**: again, you were the first! you're amazing! dont worry, i know a thing or two about obsessive reading of fics, lol. ill check out your story, definately!_

_**Amalynne O'Hara**: lol. horny deer. hahahaha. i still laugh when i think of that. dont worry, the tension wont last too much longer, it would come sooner if i wasnt to lazy to write long chapters, lol._

_**YoshimiWolfspaw**: yeah, i actually almost forgot about the letter til you reminded me, but i went back and read it again. i definately owe you one. thanks. lol, i am one of the most morbid people i know. _

_**lhune**: yeah, thats how i imagine sirius' parents, the only way. thanks for letting me know that you wont always review, its nice to know that you're probably reading it, even if i dont get a review._

_**forrest**: short but sweet (just like me!). thanks for reading! _


	9. slytherins get us in trouble

_hey everyone, im back! im so sorry i havent updated lately, i dont really have a reason. im just lazy. no writers block, no vacation, nothing. sorry! anyway, heres the next chapter, finally, and i hope you guys didnt give up on me. (ugh, im such a drama queen, i mean it wasnt THAT long) id write more, but its a school day...you know the drill._

_k, todays promotion: dazzling dames "the slam book". this is really cute, it basically has each character fill out a form about themselves. it can get really funny (with gred and forge, how could it not?) and at times a little more sobering (we miss sirius too, remus). really sweet, check it out. remember, tell me if you want fics promoted!_

_disclaimer: not mine, although if it was do you think people would wait three yrs for an update and wait in a bookstore from 10 pm with tape on their glasses to make them look more like harry potter...i mean, so ive heard people did ::shifty eyes::_

Remus, James, and Peter rushed into the transfiguration classroom just before the bell rang. They took their seats quietly, trying not to look at McGonnagall. Her lips thinned, as she glared at them, opening her book without looking down.

"Changing inanimate objects into other inanimate objects is one of the simplest forms of transfiguration. For those of you who still have difficulty with the matches-to-needles excersise, I expect you to be able to complete it before the end of this class. Otherwise, you will be spending your free time over the next few nights with me. This is not a punishment," she added in reply to the groans following her announcement, "it is only to ensure that you do not fall behind your fellow students."

Peter gulped nervously. He leaned in towards Remus. "Psst! Hey, how do you make the needle look…er…silver and shiny?"

Remus smirked. "You mean, _metal_?"

Peter blushed. "Well, I was trying to be a little less obvious, but yeah, metal."

Remus laughed as he leaned in. "Watch me," he said, in that impossibly patient voice, brushing his hands through his light brown hair. .

James smiled as he saw Peter sigh in frustration at his wooden needle. Even though it took him longer than he might want, Peter was a good sport, and would try until he got it.

Just then, the class was interrupted by the door opening slowly and quietly. Sirius slunk in, staring at the floor, his eyes covered by his hair.

"Sorry professor, there was a…er, family emergency," he said quietly, and James detected the slightest bit of sarcasm in the boy's voice. James was an expert at detecting the undertones in someone's voice, seeing as he spent so much time thinking up his own excuses. He glared suspiciously at Black as he made his way to the back of the room, eyes still focused on the floor.

But as James turned his gaze back on Peter, Remus looked back just in time to see Sirius lift up his gaze. Their eyes met for a moment before Remus gasped quietly. Sirius was glaring at him through two cold grey eyes, one of which was turning black and blue. He looked like he had just been in a fight, and lost. Remus turned quickly back around.

"No, Peter, you can't just bring in silver paint, McGonnagall will notice if your needle starts to bleed on her…."

As the class filed out of the room (peter had managed to turn his match about halfway through class, and was now onto working on plates-to-goblets), Remus was slower about packing his bag then usual.

"Go on without me, James, I'll meet you two later." James nodded and left, Peter following him with a confused glance at Remus.

As Sirius walked by, Remus grabbed his arm. He flinched, but quickly covered it up and looked at the smaller boy next to him. "What do you want, Lupin?"

Remus stared right back at him, accepting the unspoken challenge that the wolf in him sensed. "We need to talk," he said simply.

"No, I don't think we do," Sirius replied calmly, careful to keep his voice quiet. He pulled his arm out of Remus' grasp, and walked out the door.

"Where'd you get that bruise?" Remus said without preamble when he caught up to the taller boy.

"None of your business," Sirius said sharply.

"It is my business if you're getting into fights; I mean you might lose points for Gryffindor, which affects the rest of us, too."

Sirius whirled on him. "Look, _prefect_, I wont get any of you _Gryffindors_ into trouble. Happy? Now leave me alone."

Remus growled in frustration. "Was it a Slytherin? Did a Slytherin beat you up?"

Sirius stopped. "How come, whenever someone gets hurt, it's automatically a Slytherin's fault? I mean, everyone assumes that Hufflepuffs are too dumb to do anything wrong, Ravenclaws are too stiff, and Gryffindors are too noble. How come no one stops to think that maybe Slytherins are too ambitious to hurt their chances at power?"

Remus had the grace to look chagrined. "Sorry. Just, all the stuff I've heard about Slytherin, I guess. I mean, my parents were Gryffindors, so I kinda grew up in a biased house. Will you tell me who it was then, or what house, at least?"

"Slytherins."

A/N stupid jackass slytherins! aw, but i love them. ::makes out with snape...who of course is in her bedroom.... :/ ::

review replies:

brennqt14: well, siri didnt do anything to them...yet. MWAHAHA!!! ooh, im so flattered, im on an author alert thingy? im sure that if i knew what that was, id be even more flatterd, but i get the gist of it from the name, lol.

dazzling dame: of course you can add me to your C2, by all means! you're so nice, thank you so much for that amazing review, i live for reviews like that! lol, i love corny stuff. its too funny. sry the chaps not too long, but hey, at least its out, right?

kurtcobain4eva: thanks a lot, short but sweet. see, i updated, ur turn now....

amalynne o'hara: lol, i know what you mean about being a sucker and having to stay with fics til the end. happens to me too often, lol. i know this is kinda short, but ill do better soon, i promise!

thanks for reviewing! now do it again!


	10. cry me a river

_omg, what is this? could it be...AN UPDATE!_

_im so so sooo sorry i havent updated in...FOREVER...but i just had no real interest in writing for a while. :gasp: i know, i know. ive had lots of schoolwork, and personally i prefer to read then write. (i just read some really good books by Nancy Mckenzie, bout the arthur legend. first one is Queen of Camelot, then Grail Prince, then Price of Dreams. they are soooo good)_

_no one asked me to recommend their fics, but tell me if you want me to next time_

Remus and James sat on the floor next to James' bed, playing a game of exploding snap. Peter lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and muttering to himself. It had taken them a few minutes, but James and Remus finally figured out that he was reviewing for the potions test by going over all the potions and ingredients he could remember. Every so often he would growl and flick his wand, and a blanket would shift out of his way to show him his notes. Once again, the cards in front of James collapsed, showering him and Remus with sparks.

"How come even when you lose, I still get singed?" Remus asked good-naturedly. James just grinned.

"ARGH! Who can remember that the bezoar should never be used in a liquid boiling over 257 degrees Fahrenheit? That's the most obscure rule ever!"

"Actually, a bezoar will disintegrate in any temperature higher than that, and the fumes created by it create a special gas, in the midst of which new spells can be created. That means that no one can ever have a wand in the vicinity of that smoke, and they cant speak either," Remus informed him.

"Really? I wish we could try that."

"Don't be stupid Peter, you have to be highly trained in that area. That's why animagi have to be watched so closely; because the only way they can transform for the first time is to do it after breathing it in."

"Geez Remus, how do you know all this?"

"Because, James my dear, I actually listen in class. Plus I asked McGonnagall about it after class."

James coughed loudly, and it sounded suspiciously like the words "suck up!" Remus just rolled his eyes.

As they turned back to their game, the door slammed open and an angry Sirius Black stormed in. Without saying a word to any of them, but muttering darkly to himself nonstop, he stalked over to his bed, and started rummaging through it. As he bent down, James spotted a drop of blood roll down from beneath his hair.

"What happened to you Black?" he asked quietly.

"None of your business Potter," replied Sirius, but to everyone's surprise it was not in a scathing tone, but rather what sounded like the hoarse voice of someone who had recently been crying.

"Sirius? What's wrong?" asked Remus concernedly.

"Nothing, now _get out of my face_!"

Sirius stormed off into the bathroom, and the three boys left in the room sighed. Sirius didn't return until long after they were all asleep. Rubbing his tired eyes one last time to rid them of the tears, he checked the newly made bandage on his arm one last time before heading to bed.

_ok, i know that was short, im sorry. i wanted to write a longer chapter, but then i decided to ease back in and not force anything. _

_reviews:_

_**BrennQT**: first, once again. argh, how can you not like snape? he ROCKS! i mean, hes spying one voldemort, thats pretty impressive. not to mention hes good at potions, which means he can probably cook well. umm, just so u know, sirius is MINE. NO TOUCHIE! lol._

_**Paige-rossie-black**: thanks for the review, so sorry i didnt update sooner!_

_**Hush-Puppy92**: sorry you had to wait. is this good enough? although i kinda wanna find out what the "or else" was...lol!_

_**Vicky H**: of course im insane! what a silly question! i have a silly Q for u though. ummm...am i really supposed to use that excerpt in my fic? cause if u got it from a different fic, i dont think thats allowed..._

_**YoshimiWolfspaw**: thanks for the b-day wishes! yeah, your review was the one that actually inspired me to write this chapter! i got it, and was like, wow, havent updated in a while. i should. so i did. YAY FOR YOU!_

_thank you all for reviews, now DO IT AGAIN, AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!_

_REVIEW  
REVIEW  
REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW  
love ya!_


	11. laugh it up

_hello everyone, im back. i wont bother with excuses, cause i think that would take up more space than the actual chapter. hehe. sowwy. actually, when i started writing this, i did not plan on it being the last chapter. i was just gonna set up a different chapter, which i thought of while in the shower. where the best thinking is done. _

_anyway, that will just have to wait for the sequel...which i will write! i think._

_i apologise for the abrupt ending, it was not planned, it just came out..._

James raced along the corridor, puffing as his legs pumped underneath him as fast as he could make them. A few red drops fell behind him off the hem of his robes. He cursed those damn boys under his breath.

This was not a scene following a tragic event, as it might seem; rather, it was something else James angrily vowed would never happen again.

He had been pranked. By…shudder….BLACK!

He could still see, through his red eyes—red with anger as well as punch—Black's smug smile as the juice dripped down his face. Of course, he hadn't been the only victim; juice was spouting from each candle in the Great Hall. Ok, so no one had proved that it was Black, and when he growled death threats for Black in poor Remus' ear (Remus being the nearest person), all he got was a pair of eyes rolling at him.

Now he had to run back to his dorms to change, ensuring that he would be late for Flying class. And Merlin knows how long he'd been looking forward to this class! Even his dreams were full of scenes with Madame Hooch running towards him, saying "Merlin, I've never seen such flying! I'll put in a word with the Quidditch captain right away!"

But of course, he knew that wouldn't happen. The Quidditch team was already full, plus first years weren't even allowed on the team. But still, one could dream….

Sirius and Remus fell against each other laughing. "That was brilliant, Remus! What would we ever do for amusement without you?"

"Aw, you're the one who thought it up, I just look up the spells."

"Yeah, we all know I have no patience for that stuff."

Remus snorted. "Oh man, James is gonna kill you. He knows you did it."

"Eh, there's nothing he can do that'll scare me."

They walked off again laughing.

It was lunchtime, and Remus had already left to find Professor Sprout to discuss his experiment with her. All his plants seemed to be dying, except for the littlest one, which refused to produce seeds. Sirius sighed as he picked up his bag, it was overstuffed with books.

James watched Sirius leave with narrowed eyes. He grabbed his bag to follow, planning on confronting Sirius about the morning. He followed the path to Gryffindor tower, knowing that was where the boy would go. He spotted his prey at the end of the hall, but as he sped up to catch him, someone else beat him to it. He broke into a run, and his jaw dropped when he finally caught sight of what was happening. It seemed that others had decided that Sirius was to blame for the morning's prank, and were taking a much more violent approach of discipline than he had planned.

Quickly he took out his wand and pointed it into the room, making as little noise as possible. "_Stupefy_!" he yelled. Rodolphus Lestrange hit the floor. Bellatrix Black whipped around, wand in hand. As she began to shriek a curse, Sirius' bloody hand reached up and grabbed her foot out from under her. Lucius Malfoy turned back to him.

Remus ran to the hospital wing, with Peter at his side. Peter couldn't think, couldn't straighten out his thoughts. The last coherent thought after Remus told him that Sirius and James were in trouble and at the hospital wing had been_ WHAT?_. No, that's a lie. It had been _WHAT?_ _Holy shit! _He could hardly breath when he entered the hospital wing, and it took all his will not to cry out when he saw the state of the two, they were both incredibly pale and their eyes were closed. He couldn't even tell if they were alive.

Peter and Remus stayed in the hospital wing that night, with the other two boys. When Remus woke up in the morning, his eyes widened as they fell upon the patients. He shook Peter awake. James Potter and Sirius Black were facing each other, wide awake, and…laughing? The two families of the wizarding world with the most enmity for each other…laughing. As Remus and Peter looked at each other, they discovered why.

The first prank of Hogwarts most infamous pair had been played.

P.S. it took Remus and Peter three days to wipe the goatees from their faces. They eyes drawn on their eyelids took no less than a week.

REVIEW REPLIES! MY FAV PART!

**_BrennQT: _**man i love you, my first reviewer every time, you are amazing. lol, i can dream of a LOT of passion, i dunno if u realize how much. here, u get siri, if i can get all the other marauders, PLUS fred and george. well talk then ;)

**_padawannabe:_** ok, here is your MORE! lol. thanx for the review!

**_thecatgoesmoo:_** give him a hug, but NO MORE, or i might get jealous...

**_the nutty imp:_** ummm...its slightly longer...0:)

**_paige-rossi-black:_** aw, i like slytherins, dont be too hard on them. tho its good ur siding with siri, he needs you! lol

**_LittleMissPadfoot:_** ooh, love the name. sry, im not gonna put the clip in, it would be a shared fic then. im more than happy to share a fic, but only from the beginning. sry again.

**_LetMeLoveYou:_** umm...not soon, sorry. but i did update in the end!

**_jojo:_** heres the update update update update! hah u didnt specify when, so i didnt dissapoint you!

**_Shards of Dimond:_** wow, thanx for the review. more of all that goodie conflict in the hopefully upcoming sequel

**_siriuslyobsessed:_** OK!

**_outofthebox:_**i know u guys lose interest, and im really sorry, but i lose interest also. then a reply like urs makes me ashamed, so i update!

**_lewllyn: _**give peter a chance, you dont know the whole story behind his turning. read my story Confessions for the full argument. and snape went down a bit from the last book, even if he was working on dd's orders. but i still love him, cause he is so interesting! to quote shrek, hes like an onion!


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